Lady Penelope Rich exercised her considerable influence on Elizabethan events and culture long before men of the Enlightenment isolated women as ‘the moral sex’. Her singing voice inspired works from the greatest composers and poets of the age, revived as part of this exquisitely wrought album from Emily van Evera and her seasoned collaborators. Van Evera’s investment in this project measures up to the accomplishments of Lady Rich and supports a stand-out recording.